Folding machine



Feb. 21, 1 939.

H. B. MILLER FOLDING MACHINE Filed June 25, 1937 2 Sh ets-Sheet l dby p Feb; 21, 1939. H, a. MILLER FOLDING MACHINE Filed June 25, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 \/E/\/TU W a. My

Patented Feb. 21, 1939 UNITED STATES FOLDING MACHINE Homer B. Miller, Gardiner, Maine, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Paterson, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application June 25, 1937, Serial No. 150,349

Claims.

This invention relates to folding machines of the step-by-step type and is herein shown as embodied in a machine of the type shown in Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,702,598, Glass,

5 and particularly intended for folding the skived margins of leather shoe parts. Its use is not so limited, however.

In machines of this type, the ingoing margin of the work piece is deflected upwardly by contact with an upwardly curved plow surface on a fixed block, commonly called a gage block because it has been provided with a fixed overhanging m-emberprojecting inwardly toward the body of the work. When it is desired to fold a different width of margin, it is necessary to change this gage block, and the setting of it in exactly the desired position on the machine has been somewhat troublesome and time consuming. The guiding of the skived margin past the gage block has been effected by a finger called a gage finger and having 2. depending portion extending downwardly therefrom more or less parallel to the curved surface of the gage block. Such machines have also frequently employed a presser foot for the retention of the work between intermittent forward feeding movements and a foot of this sort has commonly served also as a creaser foot because it has been provided with a sharp edge over which the margin has been definitely folded or creased by a reciprocating folding finger.

To overcome some of the disadvantages inherent in the mechanisms which have been employed and in accordance with an important object of the invention, provision has been made for readily adjusting the guiding and gaging parts of the machine so that different widths of fold can be obtained and different thicknesses of work accommodated.

An important feature of the invention is to be found in an improved creaser foot having a forward projection beyond the body of the foot and over which the margin of the work is folded and an upward projection or toe designed to cooperate with the plow surface of the gage block thereby to form a guide fitting closely to the. skived margin which is to be folded. Still another feature of the invention resides in an improved gage finger which may be readily adjusted heightwise of the Work to determine the width of the margin to be folded in accordance with the desires of the shoe manufacturer. Preferably and as illustrated, this finger is received in a slot in the gage block and thereby is held against deflection in the direction of feeding movement and. is held in close cooperation with the upturned end of the creaser foot and plow surface of the gage block.

These and other features of the invention will best be understood from a consideration of the following specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which 5 Fig. l is a front elevation of the machine with parts broken away and in section;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section through Fig. 1 on the line IIII;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the operating tools in the machine, viewed from the side opposite to that in which they are sene in Fig. 1 and on a greatly enlarged scale;

Fig. 4 is an end view of the machine, showing the relation of the operating tools, and

Fig. 5 is a view of a portion of a shoe upper, the margin of which has been folded.

A piece of work 280, the margin of which has been skived and then cemented, is supported on a table l0 carried at the outer end of an arm l2 and detachably secured to the frame of the machine by a hand screw i4. On this arm I2 are carried an anvil l6 and a hammer 18, together with the mechanism for operating them to press the fold and to feed the Work. J ournaled in the arm in the frame of the machine, there is also a drive shaft Zil having a pulley 2| and arranged to operate a release. arm 22 and a folding finger 24. At the top of the machine is an overhanging arm 26 which is pivotally attached to the machine and 30 part of which forms a cover for the hollow frame portion 28; and on this overhanging arm supports are provided for a creaser foot 30, a shipping knife 32 and a gage finger 34.

As the work is fed forward (away from the observer, as viewed in Fig. 1) the skived margin will be deflected upwardly by an upturned plow surface on a gage block 38 which is detachably secured to the arm [2. The extent to which the work may be pushed up along this curved surface of the gage block is determined by the horizontal outer end of the gage finger 34, the latter extending inwardly toward the body of the work, and in order that this finger may not be deflected forwardly in the direction of feeding movement, it 45 is arranged to enter a'slot 36 at the upper side of the gage block 38. The gage finger is pivotally mounted, being provided with a finger piece at its inner end which is held upwardly by a spring against a stop screw &0. Adjustment of this screw permits easy adjustment of the outer horizontal end of the gage finger thereby to vary its relation to the work heightwise of the table and variably to determine the width of the margin to be folded by the reciprocating finger 24.

-- chine is provided with a creaser foot which cooperates with the release arm 22 to grip the work during the rearward movement of the feeding members I6 and I8. This creaser foot 30 performs the combined functions of a presser foot and of a creaser foot cooperating with the folding finger. To this end, it has a beveled, forwardly extending portion 44 over which the margin of the work is folded or creased by the reciprocating finger 24 (Fig. 3) just before the fold is pressed down by the hammer I8 against the anvil I6. The creaser foot, as will be later described, may be adjusted heightwise of the work by means of a screw 46 for varying thicknesses of leather and also may be adjusted toward and away from the gage block 38. Together with this gage block, it provides for guiding the upturned margin of the work and to this end has an upturned toe 42 which cooperates with the plow surface of the gage block to form a guideway for the skived margin. Since this creaser foot is independently adjustable with respect to the gage finger, the invention provides easy control for work margins of different widths and thicknesses.

Considering, then, the construction of the parts attached to the upper arm 26, it will be seen that there is provided a bracket 50, having a cylindrical hollow shank portion 52 supported in the arm and which may be adjusted in and out of the arm by means of a screw 54 and may be held in adjusted position by a notched draw bolt 56. This bracket 50 has forwardly extending arms 58, and a carrier 60 is mounted between these arms on a pivot 59 and supports the creaser foot 30. For this purpose, the creaser foot is provided with a rectangular shank portion 62 (Figs. 1 and 4) having a bent upper end 64 for the reception of the stop screw 46. The shank portion 62 is received in av groove in the end of the carrier 60 and is notched to receive a screw 66 which holds a cap over the shank portion 62. This latter is pressed against one side of the groove by a gib 68 which may be adjusted by screws 10. The creaser foot is normally urged downwardly against the flesh surface of the work by a spring plunger T2 to a limit determined by the stop screw 46. On the other end of the carrier 60 is a finger piece I4 which permits the carrier to be tilted to lift the creaser foot away from the table I0 when it is desired to insert a piece of work. The limit of counterclockwise pivotal movement of the carrier (Fig. 1) is determined by a stop screw I6 passing through the arm of this finger piece and bearing against the bottom of the bracket 50, while a stop screw "I5 limits movement in the opposite sense.

In order that the relation of the creaser foot 30 to the hammer I8 in its work-pressing position may be exactly adjusted, provision is made for tilting the bracket 50 around the axis of the arm 26, this being accomplished by set screws I8 which bear against the sides of the adjusting screw 54 at the top of the arm, it being understood that the screw 54 with its nuts 55 passes through a hole in the bracket 50 sufi iciently large to allow such slight tilting movement. Asv

in the Glass machine, the snipping knife 32 is pivoted on the axis provided by the pivot 59 for the carrier arm 60 and is operated by a mechanism driven from the main shaft 20 comprising an eccentric strap and a rod (not shown) extending lengthwiseof the arm through the hollow shank 52 of the bracket 50. The cover may be readily tilted away from the observer, as viewed in Fig. 1, without disturbing the connection between the eccentric strap 80 and the operating mechanism for the snipping knife, and as readily replaced.

The release arm 22 is mounted on a short shaft 82 (Fig. 4) journaled in the arm I2 and provided with a release cam lever 84 (Fig. 1) which is held against a cam (not shown) on the shaft 20.

The mechanism for actuating the hammer to press the fold and to swing the hammer to feed the work is shown in Figs. 1 and 2, being mounted within an oil-tight casing which is supported in the hollow frame 28 on a pivot rod 94 (Fig. 2) and is braced in position therein by screws 96 (Fig. 1). The arrangement is such that this casing 90 may be partially filled with oil for the complete lubrication of the operating links and levers, which, as will be described, operate the hammer and the anvil. The anvil I6 is carried at the outer end of an arm I00 which is secured at the end of a hollow shaft 92 journaled in the arm l2 while the hammer I8 is mounted on the end of a lever I02 pivoted at I04 to this arm I00, the lever I02 being connected to a reciprocating rod I06 which passes through the hollow shaft.

Actuation of this rod I06, in order to bring the hammer into engagement with the work in properly timed relation to the swinging movement of the anvil-carrying arm I00, is effected by a lever I98 pivoted on the cross rod 94 and receiving movement from an eccentric IIO pinned to the shaft 20. This eccentric IIO has a spherical contour and is engaged by a strap II2 having a depending arm II4 which is pivotally attached by a ball and socket joint I I6 to a mid point on a lever H8. The lever H8 swings on a fixed pivot I20 in the casing 90 and is connected by a link I22 having forked ends to the lower end of the lever I08. The upper end of the lever I08 is split at I24 to receive a block I26 pivotally secured to a slide I28 which is yieldably held against stop nuts I30 on the rod I06 by a spring I32, thus accommodating thickened spots, such as seams, in the work.

Swinging movement of the hollow shaft 92 to impart a feeding movement to the work is derived from an eccentric I34 on the shaft 20 surrounded by an eccentric strap having a rod I36. The lower end of this rod I36 is split to receive a pivot I38 in a lever I40 which is mounted on a stud I42, held by a set screw I46 in a lug I44 formed in the inside of the casing 90. The other end of this lever I40 is connected to the lower end of a link I50 by a link I48 forked at each end, as shown in Fig. 1, and secured to a pivot pin I52 passing through the lower end of the link I50. The upper end of the link I50 is hinged to an arm I5I by a pin I53, said arm being clamped on the hollow shaft 92. This pin I52 is supported at the upper end of an arm I54 forming a toggle with the link I50. The lower end of the toggle arm I54 is mounted on a pivot I56 carried by an adjustable arm I58 which is mounted on a rod I59 passing through a hollow bearing sleeve I60 supported in the casing 90 and held in position by a set screw I62. On the right end of the rod I59 is mounted a handle I64, normally held down by a spring I69 (Fig. 2) against a stop pin I66 passing through any one of a series of holes in the frame 28. Provision is made for the attachment to the handle I64 of a treadle rod I68, on which the spring I69 is mounted, and by which the handle I64 can be lifted to increase the feed, to a limit defined by a stop screw I'I0. When the handle I64 is raised against the stop screw, the eccentric I 34 is effective to cause a larger oscillation of the arm [5! on the hollow shaft 92 because the pivot pin 952 is more nearly in line with the pivot pin I56 and the pivot I53 and thus elfects a straightening of the toggle formed by the links I50 and H54. The arrangement of cocentrically operated links and levers bathed in oil provides a quiet running mechanism for imparting a work-feeding movement to the hammer and anvil.

The machine is adapted for various kinds of work but in Fig. 5 there is shown one typical work piece consisting of a portion of a shoe upper 250 having a strap 262, the margin 204 of which has been folded, being pleated as it passes around the convex end of the strap. As the strap joins the body of the work, it forms a concave curve 256 and in this portion, snips 298 are formed to permit the formation of a flat fold. The margin of such a piece of work, shown greatly exaggerated in Fig. 3, is given a preliminary upward turn by the curved plow surface of the gage block 38, being guided in contact therewith by the upturned toe 12 of the creaser 3H and limited in its movement by the gage finger 34. The operator, in guiding the work, will hold its edge against the gage finger 34. As soon as the margin passes the gage block, it is folded or creased over the beveled edge of the forwardly projecting portion 44 of the creaser foot, after which the fold is pressed against the body of the work by the coacting hammer l8 and anvil l6. These parts retain their grip on the Work as they move toward the observer in Fig. 3 and feed the work step by step through the machine. When the feeding members are returning to their initial position, the work is held between the lower end of the creaser foot Bil and the coacting release arm 22 (Fig. 4). From this latter figure it will be noted that the snipper 32 coacts with the forward side of the gage block 38 to make a shear out through the upturned margin of the work.

To change the machine for work having a margin of different width and thickness, it is necessary only to adjust the screws 46 and I6, which control the creaser foot ,and the screw 40, which controls the gage finger.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a folding machine, a gage block having a surface curved upwardly and outwardly from the body of a piece of work for deflecting upwardly the skived margin of the work to be folded, and a creaser foot having a portion adapted to rest on the work adjacent to the margin and having a toe turned upwardly from the aforesaid portion, said toe cooperating with the gage block to form a tapered guide for the upwardly thinning, upturned, skived margin of the work.

2. In a folding machine, a gage block having a surface upcurved away from the body of a piece of work the margin of which has been skived for deflecting upwardly the margin of the Work to be folded, a creaser foot adapted to rest on the work adjacent to the margin and having a toe turned upwardly and outwardly from the foot, said toe cooperating with the gage block to form a tapered guide for the margin of the Work, and means for adjustably determining the position of the creaser foot as it is moved toward and away from the gage block to accommodate variations in the thickness of the margin to be folded.

3. In a folding machine, means for feeding the work forwardly, a gage block positioned alongside the line of feed and having an upturned work-margin deflecting portion, said gage block having a slot extending transversely of the line of feed heightwise of the block, and a gage finger adjustable vertically in said slot and extending outwardly from the gage block thereby to provide a stop against which the edge of the work may be pressed to determine the width of the margin to be folded.

4. In a folding machine, mechanism for feeding a piece of work having a finished surface and a flesh surface, a gage finger extending transversely of the line of feed and adjustable heightwise of the work, and means positioned closely adjacent to said finger comprising a work-margin deflecting member for engagement with the finished surface at the margin and a cooperating member for engagement with the flesh surface of the work at the margin, said members together with the gage finger forming a guideway.

5. In a folding machine, mechanism for feeding a piece of work having a flesh surface uppermost, a gage finger for engagement with the edge of the work extending transversely of the line of feed and adjustable heightwlse of the work, and means positioned closely adjacent to said finger comprising a work-margin deflecting member beneath the work and a cooperating member for engagement with the flesh surface of the work, said members together with the gage finger forming a guideway, said cooperating members being relatively adjustable to vary the width of the guideway thereby to accommodate varying thicknesses of margin without varying the position of the gage finger.

HOMER B. MILLER. 

